Numbers Comparison during Arithmetic Task: Evidence from the Compatibility Effect.

1. Numbers Comparison during Arithmetic Task: Evidence from the Compatibility Effect. Research question In basic addition, it is well-known that children will rather count from the larger of the two addends. In other words, they will rather use Max + Min strategies (Groen & Parkman, 1972). However, it remains still unclear to what extent adults will rather calculate from the larger of the two operands in a complex operation such as “48 + 27 = ?” or “25 + 46 = ?”. Recently, Nys and Content (in press) observed that their participants tended to add from the larger number, which means that they were sensitive to the position of the higher operand. This position effect supports therefore the existence of an early numbers comparison stage during arithmetic processing. Compatibility effect Nuerk, Weger and Willmes (2001) observed that two two-digits Arabic numbers are easier to compare if they are compatible, i.e. if the larger decade is associated to the larger unit “48 _ 27” than if they are incompatible “47 _ 28”. Aim of the study and Methodology We assess the existence of a numbers comparison stage during arithmetic processing by evaluating the influence of the compatibility of the two operands on behavioral and oculometric data in both a numbers comparison task and a complex additions resolution task. To do so, we manipulate the compatibility of 96 pairs of two-digit numbers. Results – Numbers comparison task Mean Response Times and Errors Rates for compatible and incompatible Proportion of eye fixations duration (in percent) on the larger number and on the pairs of numbers. smaller number in function of the compatibility of the two numbers. Results – Arithmetic task Mean Response Times and Errors Rates for compatible and incompatible Proportion of eye fixations duration (in percent) on the larger number and on the pairs of operands. smaller number in function of the compatibility of the two numbers (during the first second of resolution). Discussion – Conclusion First, we replicated the compatibility effect in the numbers comparison task: compatible numbers were more efficiently compared than incompatible ones. We also found an asymmetry in eye fixations durations that corroborates our results. Second, we observed a compatibility effect on response times in the arithmetic task. Moreover, we observed an asymmetry in early eye fixations durations that is similar to the one observed in the numbers comparison task. Taken together, these results suggest that adding two numbers by the use of a non-separative strategy involve an early numerical comparison stage, which could influence the execution of the strategy. *** ** Groen, G. J., & Parkman, J. M. (1972). A chronometricanalysis of simple addition. PsychologicalReview, 79, 329–343. Nuerk, H., Weger, U., & Willmes, K. (2001). Decade breaks in the mental number line? Putting the tens and units back in differentbins. Cognition , 82 (1), 25-33. Nys, J., & Content, A. (In press). Complex Mental Arithmetics. The Contribution of the NumberSense. Canadian Journal of ExperimentalPsychology. Mathieu Guillaume1,2& Alain Content1 1 Laboratoire Cognition, Langage, Développement , 2 FNRS Université Libre de Bruxelles - maguilla@ulb.ac.be